Author: News Desk

Japan: The launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea has caused fear and confusion in Japan after a government-run alert system warned residents that the projectile could fall on or close to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The emergency broadcasting system, J-Alert, told millions of people in Hokkaido to take immediate cover after the North fired what appeared to be a long-range missile. The system issued the evacuation warning just before 8 AM local time, but lifted it soon after, stating it had “erroneously” predicted that the missile would fall near the island. But Japan’s government later declared…

Myanmar: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations have strongly condemned the Myanmar military’s bombing of a village in the central Sagaing region that killed dozens of people, including children. The statement from ASEAN came after the Myanmar military confirmed the air attack on a ceremony held by the National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel administration, for a unit of its People’s Defence Force (PDF) militia. The United Nations, the United States, and others have already condemned the attack by the generals, who seized power from the elected government through a military coup in February 2021. “ASEAN strongly condemns…

United Kingdom: Scientists have developed a new technique for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease before symptoms show up, speeding up the hunt for a cure. Parkinson’s is difficult to diagnose since there is no specific test for the condition. Symptoms vary, and several other illnesses have similar symptoms, which means the condition can often be misdiagnosed. The new study published in the Lancet Neurology journal has come up with a way to identify the buildup of abnormal proteins associated with the disease long before symptoms show. The research method known as the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (alphaSyn-SAA) can accurately identify people who…

Taiwan: The ruling party of Taiwan has nominated Vice President Mr. William Lai as its candidate for next year’s presidential elections. The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) choice of Mr. Lai, a man who has been more outspoken on Taiwanese independence than President Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, is expected to cause dissatisfaction in China. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to reunite the self-governed island. The DPP’s announcement came two days after China formally ended three days of military drills around Taiwan that included simulated attacks on key targets on the island.…

Ireland: The US President Joe Biden has landed in Northern Ireland ahead of a four-day visit to the island to reassert his support for peace in the country and to celebrate his Irish roots. The US president was met at Belfast International Airport by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a visit expected to mix delicate political choreography with economic announcements and events linked to Mr. Biden’s Irish and Catholic heritage. Mr. Biden noted that he wanted to safeguard the Good Friday agreement, which was signed 25 years ago, and support Mr. Sunak’s post-Brexit deal for the region. The President…

Chile: Chilean legislators have passed a bill reducing the country’s work week from 45 to 40 hours as part of improving the quality of life and rights of workers in the South American nation. The bill was passed by the lower house of Chile’s Congress by a margin of 127 to 14 after being anonymously approved by the Senate several weeks ago. Chile’s left-wing President Gabriel Boric, who is expected to sign the bill into law, described it as a “pro-family project that aims at the good living of all.” Labor Minister Ms. Jeannette Jara commented that “this is a…

South Africa: A new study has found that the swimming pools, well-watered gardens, and clean cars of the rich are driving water crises in cities at least as much as the climate emergency or population growth. According to the researchers, the vast difference in water use between rich and poor citizens had been largely overlooked in seeking solutions to water shortages, with the focus instead on attempts to increase supply and higher prices for water. The researchers suggest that the only way to protect water supplies is by redistributing water resources more equally. The study used Cape Town, South Africa,…

Philippines: The United States and the Philippines have launched their largest-ever military drills, which will include a live-fire exercise on a sunken ship in the South China Sea. More than 17,000 soldiers are taking part in the annual event, known as Balikatan, including about 12,200 American troops, 5,400 members of the Philippines Armed Forces (AFP), and representatives from other countries, including Australia. Balikatan means ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in Tagalog. The drills are scheduled to end on April 28. “The Balikatan Exercise enhances both the AFP and the United States Armed Forces’ tactics, techniques, and procedures across a wide range of…

United States: A new report has stated that the recent leak of more than a hundred secret US defence documents could just be the “tip of the iceberg” of a trove of material that had started circulating long before it was widely noticed. According to analysts, the disclosure of highly classified material represents Washington’s worst national security breach in many years, including details about Ukraine’s lack of ammunition, US intelligence collection methods used against Russia, and embarrassing evidence pointing to US spying on close allies such as Ukraine, South Korea, and Israel. Analysts further suggest that the damage to the…

United States: Mr. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, has announced on Twitter that his company would build a factory in Shanghai with the aim to assemble 10,000 giant batteries annually for electric producers and distributors. The batteries, which Tesla calls Megapacks, are designed to store large amounts of electricity. According to Tesla, a single Megapack can power 3,600 homes for one hour. The batteries, which are roughly the length and height of an international shipping container, can discharge the electricity to run factories or homes when demand from the local power grid is high or during a blackout.…